Account of voyage from Liverpool, London to Sydney, Australia in S S Gulf of Mexico

Date: 1886 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

We are extremely fortunate that Benjamin Mutch Salisbury (1862-1939) chose to keep a diary of this important event in their lives. In 1996 the diary was in the possession of Les Salisbury (Northcote, Victoria, Australia). Special thanks to Andrea Johnson who has transcribed the diary which now follows:

First page of Benjamin's 1886 diary

Account of voyage from Liverpool, London to Sydney, Australia in S S Gulf of Mexico 1886 5 April

We left Lime St. Station Liverpool @ 2.35 a.m. and changed at Warrington into the Scotch Express for London where we arrived about 8 a.m. and took a cab to Finchurch St. station where we deposited our luggage and went to get our breakfast, after which we took a short walk in the city, then back to the station where we went to look after our train for Gravesend. But what a crush and bustle - everybody seemed as though they were frightened, that they were going to be left and were trying to get the porters to look after their luggage but it was no use they took it just as it came to hand, but at last all was ready so we took our seat in a carriage, but such carriages they were, more like cattle trucks than anything else, they were all open one to the other, reminding us very much of the Hoylake line.

SS Gulf of Mexico

We left the station at 10.15 am and proceeded to Gravesend, where we arrived in due time, when we had another bustle to get luggage down to the tender which was lying a short distance away. At last all was on board and we started for the ship where we soon arrived. At the ship we had to give up part of our contract ticket to the Emigration Officer, and then to look for our berths which we found numbered and our names attached, But what berths they were, Just fitted up for the voyage, not at all what we expected from the advertisement (unusually lofty accommodation for 3rd class passengers) there was two rows, one above another and about 80 berths in one room, but little did we think what we should have to go through in that very place, Then we went down to the female berths which we found very much better, only six in a row, but they were very much worse than they should be, but anyhow, it is too late to draw back so we must make the best of it but we were not at all charmed with our first acquaintance of the ship.

When we had been on board about an hour we had dinner served when we had to lower the tables which we slided up to the upper deck, so that they would be out of our road. The dinner consisted of roast beef and potatoes in their skins which was very good and plentiful. We had now our first acquaintance with tin plates, but we were hungry and did not notice any thing, as hunger is a good sauce. When dinner was over we had each to wash our own things up then we had a walk on deck, where some men were crying their wares which were things that were wanted on the voyage.

About 4 o'clock there was some talk of starting immediately, so there was a bustle among the men who were crying want anything more from the shore before I go, but we did not start till about 5 o'clock

When we sailed out to the Downs where we had to stay for want of water till the morning, when we proceeded on our journey.

But I must give a little account of our first night on board. We had our tea about 5.30 which consisted of bread and butter and tea then we had a short walk on deck but we soon got tired and sleepy, so we went to bed very early, not having been to bed the night before. We slept very fair until the morning April 6th when we were disturbed by the vessel starting, so we got up and went on deck to wash ourselves and had a walk round the deck until breakfast time which was a 8 o'clock It was porridge and treacle to sweeten it and coffee and bread and butter, then up on deck again to have a look at the shores of England which looked very pretty indeed especially the Isle of Wright and so passed the day until the evening when some of us began to feel rather queer, and some of us began to run to the side. So we went to bed early or rather to our beds and crawled in, for you had to be very careful or we would knock our heads against the top berths, for ours happened to be bottom berths,

We did not sleep so well this night, for she was rolling a little, but we thought she was rolling a great deal being new to it.

April 7th

In the morning, there was a cry that we were nearing Plymouth, so there was a general rush up on deck, but we did not arrive there till 8.30

Some of the passengers then went on shore (with small sail boats that came to ply for hire) to post letters and to get various little things that had been forgotten at London but none of our party went on shore, one of the passengers having kindly volunteered to post our letters, so we stayed on board. All the passengers came back about 10 o'clock, as we were expecting to start immediately. But it began to be very rough even for small steam tenders to bring a few fresh stores on board so we had to stay later until it went a little calmer when the stores came on board and a few more passengers making 151 altogether. We did not set sail at all that day, but passed a quiet day on board anxiously expecting to sail every minute which we did about 8.30 immediately after breakfast.

April 8th

Then we took our farewell look of Dear Old England for the sea was rather rough and the vessel or rather tub began to roll fearfully and we began to be very sick, so we were glad to crawl in bed where we were glad to be as you do not feel the sickness half as bad when you lie down on your back. Dinner time came and I crawled out to try and get some dinner, but O the feeling. I was very glad to lie down again and so on to tea time and thus ended the 8th without being able to get to the cabin to see how the women fared Then for a long night I really thought it was never going to be morning as the old tub was rolling fearfully and I dare hardly move I was so sick But the storm increased, for we had got in a storm indeed and in the Bay of Biscay, where it was always supposed to be rough as, indeed it was rough. Then the water came over the decks washing off everything that was loose and coming over our hatchways and down below and washing backwards and forwards taking tins and boxes about the decks with it, the tins falling off the tables and racing across the floor. Oh how pleasant We had to get out of our berths and rescue our boxes which were beginning to go about the floor with the rest of them, so we turned our beds up and put them at the end of our berths and went after another one of ours which had already got into the water, So we went creeping along the forms that were fast and happening to get on a loose one I went riding backwards and forwards amongst the boxes &c but we succeeded at last in getting it into our berth but not before it had spoiled us a lot of things for it was only an old wooden box not reckoned to be watertight, but we did not expect to have the water coming in like that or we might easily have secured them from the water. It was really amusing to see us struggling after our boxes and every now and then having to stop and be sick, But morning came at last and with it some of the sailors came to get the water out and make a hole in the deck to take any more that should come and so ended the eventful Thursday night.

10th

But the 9th was no better. The storm was raging and the water kept coming down and kept similar all day Friday and Saturday as well without anything fresh or worse except throwing a horse overboard that had died through the knocking about But Saturday afternoon finds us a deal better and we get on deck and it is amusing to see us clinging to anything that was available, for she rolled fearfully but we were getting used to it, the sea was going down a little and did not come over quite so much, but yet too much to be nice It is a splendid moonlight night but we cannot enjoy it so well for the vessel rolls fearfully yet and there is no convenience on deck not even a place to sit down, so we have to retire early

11th

We get up pretty early in the morning which is Sunday 11th April and our first Sunday on board, but how different to the Sundays at home - We first have our usual wash on deck, then scramble about as well as we are able until breakfast time when the steward called out breakfast and we go below. But what a breakfast. It was called porridge but it is more like saw dust just mixed up with water so we have to do without, or almost as there is only one slice of bread and butter, but plenty of coffee and raw sugar Then we go up on deck again and walk about a little and the captain and doctor come to look round which is the first time they have done so, The doctor has been as sick as any of us, it being his first voyage to sea, he is working his passage out to Australia along with his wife who is a very nice lady, But he is very young and inexperienced, but they (the owners) are not particular who they get as the passengers are only so much cargo, and when once they get hold of the money they do not care a rap about the passengers It is a splendid day and the sea is pretty calm and we are expecting some kind of a service, to be held, but we are doomed to be disappointed, Some of the passengers sing a few of Sankey's hymns but we did not know them and I suppose we would feel the contrast between the Sundays at home in Frankby there. But we kept very cheerful for all the contrast and we pass the rest of the day very well

12th Distance sailed 260 miles

Monday 12th Ap: finds us a great deal better and quite ready for business, for we really have business to attend to We are all divided out at the tables, so many to each table and one (the first on the list) is made captain of the mess and have to look after the food for now they are giving us our allowance and the captain has to get it on each Monday So the captain has got his sugar bag and is going to get our sugar for the week and besides we have to go up to the galley for the coffee or we should come badly off if we had to wait for the stewards, who do not seem to trouble about us and no wonder for they have paid 2/3 of the usual passage money and are working their way for the remainder and there is only 2 of them for 80 men also 10 out of every 17 sailors were working their passage out There was also 2 cooks out of 3 and the baker and even the boatswain and one of the - engineers besides the doctor before mentioned and the stewardess and the steward in the married and single women's cabin who were working their passage - so anybody can judge how well the ship can be managed with such a lot of men working their passage out. The 4th mate came down this morning and posted up in our cabin the names of five of the men in the 1st mess to clean the cabin out that day just as if we were emigrants, but this was only a test, to see if we were fools enough to do it so when they found that the men would not do it they ordered the stewards to do it, but it was rather cheeky of them to ask the passengers to do it, for on the regular mail steamers you do not have to do anything not even wash your own dishes, but we do that here for our own convenience, as it is much better to have clean dishes and a clean table, but we must make the best of it and besides a little work will do us good but the food is so bad it gives you no heart to work for such a ship If the emigrants are treated any worse than us they never could reach their destination There is a lot of men on the ship that have been to sea before but they never saw anything to equal this ship with regard to the food and the rolling. I believe she makes her own waves to roll on, for the sea is comparatively calm and yet she keeps rolling. One man whom we call the Colonel laughingly calls her the Steam-roller and I think he is about right for she is a steam roller (any one who reads this need not think it is exaggerated for indeed it is not, for I believe she is very flat bottomed and besides badly laden, for she has light cargo at the bottom and non at the top and an unusually large amount of coal, for she had, not a very large cargo and took coal to make it up. She had over 1000 tons of coal. We have a washing day today, washing the saltwater out of some of the things that got wet in the Bay, that is one excellent thing about the ship, they never find fault with the washing, you can wash any day and dry the clothes either, on the deck or in the engine room and there was always a good supply of water and there is also more freedom on the ship than in Mail steamers We could go in the Female cabin which was a great comfort, for it was like going into a palace out of our dirty place

There is not near so many in the cabin as in the open berths and consequently the air is a deal purer.

We lounge about the deck during the day which is very fine and at night have a dance on deck but it is amusing to watch the dances rolling about sometimes where the vessel gives an unusual lurch, but nevertheless we pass a very merry night.

13th 253 miles

Tuesday passes without anything fresh occurring except a steamer which was passing us homeward bound but too far away to make out what she really was

14th 258 miles

On Wednesday, great excitement prevailed, as we could sight Teneriffe (one of the Canary Isles) in the distance Then there is a certain amount of speculation as to how far we might be off, some say 20 some 50 and so on but it proves to be about 20 miles for we get pretty close in about 2 hours We do not call there, which is the first time this ship has missed calling to take in coal, but she had such a stock in that she need not call. There was really charming scenery to be seen there, such as would greatly please the eye of an artist or any lover of nature for the colours are most magnificent and as we move on by the Island, we see the Peak of Teneriffe the top of which is covered with snow even in this warm place and then we pass by a town, but we could not make much of it out as we were too far off, but it was very picturesque, the sun reflected on it splendidly. Then there was a French Mail Steamer passed by us on the other side, there was also a couple of row boats though some distance off nearer the shore than we were. It is astonishing how much such things attract our attention, but I suppose it is something, as we have not seen anything but water from morning till night, so such a change is really very agreeable. But it is too short, for we have to take our last look at land for some time. After tea we see a few flying fish and we have a few games on board (deck) such as cards dominoes draughts and some have a race up the rigging, then a tug of war with a rope which causes a lot of mirth and so we pass the night away pretty well

15th 264 miles

Thursday something similar to other days but it gets warmer, so the sailors prepare to put an awning over the decks, which shades the sun off us and makes us more comfortable. We saw another vessel this morning said to be a French gun boat, but she was too far off to tell properly This afternoon we saw a shark but it soon disappeared We are to have a concert to night by way of a change and some of the men are very busy making a programme out. It is for the benefit of the Seamen's Orphanage, it is to commence at 7 o'clock and according to the programme gigs may be ordered for 9.30 The concert went off very well - it was quite a change - it was held on the deck and flags were hung all about making it look quite smart and covering all defects. We had a few very good songs and the collection box was passed round and so ended one of the most enjoyable days we have had on board.

16th 250 miles

Friday not so warm as yesterday, there is a nice breeze, it is quite refreshing Nothing at all fresh today only throwing another horse overboard so we passed our time away in the usual way

17 256 miles

Saturday is a very busy day to us, we have to carry our beds on deck to air, while the cabin is being scrubbed out then a flying fish came on board which kept us on the lookout for more but none came, but there was plenty flying about. In the afternoon an alarm was given that the ship was on fire. Then there was a race to the boats which some of the sailors were preparing to lower, but it was only an alarm given for practice so that the crew and passengers may know what to do in case it should happen We sighted Cape Verde this afternoon but it only looked like a dark cloud on the horizon. There was a sale by auction in the evening - a sailor's chest and contents - it had been on the ship some time and belonged to a sailor who did not come on board It was a very small sale indeed only realizing a few shillings altogether as there was not many buyers.

18th 258 miles

Sunday was a very hot day there was a service held on deck when the captain read or gabbled the morning prayer, he did not care a bit how quick he got over. I do not think he is a Church of England man, for he is a Scotchman The doctor read the lessons which was a deal better than the captain's reading as he was not in such a hurry We did not have any hymns There is very few Church of England people on board, they are principally Scotch and Irishmen and half a dozen Jews. There is English, Scotch, Welsh, Irish, German and Jews so that we are a proper mixed cargo. The heat is very oppressive today, too hot even to walk under the awning so we lounged about all day and at night the heat was almost unbearable, so some of the men got their beds on deck, for it was like a stove down below

19th

Monday is hotter still, we can do nothing but lounge about, reading is out of the question all are complaining of the heat. Nearly all the male passengers slept on deck to night, we among the rest as it is almost unbearable in the cabin. I do not know how the females manage for there is nowhere on deck for them to sleep without sleeping on the open deck. Two of them even ventured that, but they were not very much appreciated for it. It is a splendid moonlight night, almost as light as day, but we do not care much about sleeping on deck we would rather be below and stand the heat.

20 250 miles

Tuesday : Early in the morning the heat was intense, but after breakfast a breeze sprang up and about 12 o'clock there was a thunderstorm which cooled us a deal and made us feel quite refreshed so we read a little to help to pass the time away. It still keeps stormy, we have a head wind and the ship is rolling about again, as we have been pretty steady lately, rain keeps falling, but still some of the men slept on deck.

21st 215 miles

Wednesday is very hot and there is some preparation going on as we are expecting to cross the line this afternoon, so they are preparing for a visit from Neptune, King of the Ocean. The captain would not give permission to the sailors to keep it up, so some of the passengers are keeping it up We do not have anything to do with it, as we do not see any fun in being shaved with a piece of hoop iron and then being thrown in a sail full of water, but they do some of them and they look half drowned and the boatswain turned the hose on the whole lot of them and wet them all through Some few paid 1/1 to get out of it so they had a spree with the money and we had to put up with their noise, for some of them were like pigs at night singing or howling fearfully

22nd 217 miles

Thursday is not so warm as it has been for we have got on the winter side of the Equator. We have formed a sort of choir amongst us, so we had a short practice for Easter Sunday, but we could not do much as we are so few.

23rd 218 miles

Friday still keeps warm and we have still a strong head wind but I believe we shall have it till we pass the Cape. There is now some doubt about calling at the Cape which makes it very awkward as we expected to post letters home, but as yet it is only a doubt. This is Good Friday though there is nothing to know it from any other day. Towards evening we come across shoals of flying fish they looked splendid their wings glittering in the sun but we soon get tired of looking at them.

24 234 miles

Saturday Nothing to be seen but water until afternoon when a fowl flew overboard escaping from the cook, then a man's hat goes overboard to keep the fowl company, then the usual boat exercise, then our usual routine until bedtime when we crawl in as usual

25 236 miles

Sunday finds us all well and we got ready for church after breakfast. It is again on deck, when it is hurried over as usual We opened the service with "The ship is o'er" and we had "Brief Life" and "Eternal Father, strong to save" We managed to sing them very well considering there was so few, only about 8 or 9 who were willing to help What a contrast to all other Easter Sundays that we have yet seen, such as the Church dressed with flowers etc. Here there is not the particle of a flower or even a nice service. Then our dinner - salt junk and preserved potatoes only half cooked We had thought to have had a tart to our own particular selves, but the cook gave the one we had made with our own things away and we got a poor thing instead, one that was hardly eatable compared with our own, but we had to make the best of it. After tea we sang hymns on deck till bedtime.

26th 234 miles

Monday Same as usual, only keeps getting cooler every day, the captains have to go as usual for the sugar and so on. We have nothing but preserved potatoes every day for dinner almost, and salt junk preserved mutton and salt pork on alternate days We have to go without dinner altogether some days as we cannot eat it, so how hungry we are. We should come very badly off indeed if we did not have our own private tea in the afternoon, it was very lucky that we thought to bring it with us

27th 211 miles

Tuesday. The sailors and carpenters are very busy making everything fast as heavy weather is expected as soon as we pass the Cape. We had quite a pantomime this morning on the ladies' cabin which we can see into off the deck as the hatches are off. Some of the people were quarreling about the bread which is very sparsely allowanced out to us, One woman threatened to throw it into the man's face as he had no right there, his wife was down there so he got his allowance transferred down there, but now that he had quarreled he had to move back into the men's cabin, much against his inclination and midst the jeers of some of the passengers. We retire early as 2 of us do not feel very well

28th 194 miles

Wednesday We are none of us very well, I do not know whether it is another sickness as there is now a new motion in the vessel she is now pitching and tossing We have very little breakfast and no dinner as it is preserved meat and preserved potatoes and they are not eatable We are beginning to think we shall never have another good meal on board tea is the only meal we have.

29th 200 miles

Thursday. There is nothing doing at all today not a sight to be seen, There was to have been a concert tonight but the weather does not suit as it is too rough, but the vessel is a deal lighter than when we started so she does not ship so much water

30th 200 miles

Friday The ship is rolling about fearful and the spray is flying over wetting some of us through We cannot walk about at all, it very soon goes dark and we sit on the hatchway and have a chat until about 9 when we retire for the night

May 1st 201 miles

Saturday It is very nice and fine, quite a change for yesterday It is cleaning up day again the sailor are coming with their pails to wash up our filthy cabin, it is only washed out once a week, so towards the end of the week the smell is almost unbearable, so we keep up on deck as much as possible. What a difference from last Mayday when we saw the procession in Lpool We pass the time away as pleasantly as we can reading etc. on deck and at night after we retire some of the men start singing in the cabin causing both amusement and annoyance as they keep us and others awake

2nd 233 miles

Sunday Same as most other days only we have the usual service and sing a few hymns, but very few attend There are plenty of birds to be seen today which shows that we are nearing land We are expected to go by the Cape in a few days. The weather is still getting colder and the vessel rolls and pitches as usual and the spray keeps coming over, which makes the deck damp and very slippery About noon a vessel was seen on the horizon, full sail, but she was soon lost to sight, so we went on the bow where it is very pleasant, then we go down to our tea. If any one on land could get a glimpse of us now, they would truly enjoy it, every now and then we have to lay our hands on the cups and everything else on the table and hold on, Sometimes something would get loose, then we would let go to catch it, then the others would go and so on keeping us very well occupied It is a splendid starlight night and we have a few hymns on deck

3rd 213 miles

Monday The engines were stopped this morning to be overhauled, they have been rattling this last day or two While they were stopped we were quite lost it was so quite Some were busy fishing and one caught a young shark about 3 feet long which caused quite a sensation They got it cooked and some of them ate it said it tasted like eel. We were to have the concert tonight but it was too rough.

4th Cape town

Tuesday. We saw the Cape early this morning it was a pretty sight The sun was rising up behind the hills it was truly glorious They signaled as we were passing by the lighthouse and station, so I expect they will know at home we have passed all well. We could not see Cape Town as it is a little from the coast. We could see the Table Mt. very plain It looked very grand and looked to have a very large flat top We all would have liked to have stopped at Cape Town just to break the journey and to get a good meal for we have not tasted fresh meat only once since we left Plymouth. About 12 o'clock the engines were again stopped for 2 hours and the fishing lines were out again but this time unsuccessfully. Late at night the wind is in our favour, so the sails are set and the ship goes much steadier

5th 203 miles

Wednesday is a splendid day not a cloud to be seen and the wind is still in our favour We are going along a little quicker than usual, so we are mostly in a good humour. In the middle of the night we are wakened up out of our sleep by some of the men holding a political argument. It is very amusing it is not the first time we had been awakened up to hear concerts, arguments and such like The vessel is beginning to roll again and the tins are all chasing one another about the floor so we have to secure them

6th 234 miles

Thursday is very much the same as yesterday The engineers are very busy cleaning the winces on deck getting them ready for unloading when we reach Hobart The sea is getting quite calm we are having much better weather than was expected but we may have it rough yet. I believe it is nearly always rough about here. We can do very well without the rough weather as she is such an awful ship for rolling and shipping seas

7th 240 miles

Friday is similar to the last few days. Some of the men are having a game of quoits (small pieces of rope spliced round) They were betting a great deal over it.

8th 230 miles

Saturday. The morning is fine same as Friday We have our allowance of flour and dried fruits served out to us and so we are very busy making cakes etc. but saving half for bread for Sunday, else we should get none When we have flour we do not have bread the following day except we save a portion of our flour for it. Towards night it gets rather rough and we cannot walk on the deck, so we sit on the hatchway a sing a few songs, but the spray comes flying over and so we go below and soon retire to bed but not to sleep much for some of the men had been buying 2 bottles of whiskey, which was passed round for those that would join them, so very soon they began to get very noisy and some of them started to play cards and were bawling and shouting over their disgracefully and one man refusing to play soon caused a fight which soon terminated with him having a beautiful pair of black eyes and then tumbling into their beds anyhow and were pretty quite for the rest of the night. The vessel now began to roll fearfully keeping us awake the principal part of the night, so between the quarreling and the rolling we spent a pleasant night.

9th 259 miles

Sunday We got up and went on deck to have a wash but we had a proper struggle, sometimes running after the bowl and sometimes jumping on the hatchway out of the way of the water which was rushing backwards and forwards over the deck keeping us quite busy. It kept getting worse all the while Others that got up later than us could not get a wash at all. It was very amusing at breakfast and dinner time to see us holding on and holding our plates and dishes, - sometimes one would escape and race up and down with the motion of the ship some getting the soup upset on them and the shouting and the noise was quite lovely. One of the pugilists had to have the doctor to him this morning, he came upon the deck with a handkerchief round his head and his face all swollen up and his eyes were a dark blue quite rich looking and he himself looking as pleasant as snow in harvest, while his opponent had no mark on him. The bruised one was very quiet and soon went to his berth All this time, the vessel kept rolling and the sea coming over, making it impossible to hold service and at dinner time it was quite amusing to watch the men watching dinner. They would get halfway along the deck, then have to jump on the coops and there have to wait 2 or 3 minutes until the sea had gone off again and similar at teatime. We have had a terrible day and every appearance of a terrible night

10th 148 miles

Monday The long night has gone at last and the morning is little better What a terrible night we have had, worse by far than what we had in the Bay of Biscay We are in the aft part of the ship and we have not suffered, where some of the cargo shifted. It was large pigs of lead and but rolled about breaking through into the berths where some of the Irishmen (They were nearly all Irishmen forward) were nearly terrified out of their wits, so the sailors say. The captain ordered the vessel back to run before the storm, so that they could secure the cargo, which I believe was a very dangerous job, as the lead was going backwards and forwards at a terrific rate. The sailors had to work all night and all day today without any rest We were sitting on the hatchways this morning holding on to the ropes and to one another when a huge sea came over drenching us. Some of them went and changed themselves and came on deck and got drenched again, so it is no use changing ourselves unless we stay down in the cabin to be stifled, for we have the choice of two evils one to come on deck and be drenched or go below and be stifled. The Captain last night thought we should never see morning he really gave the ship up and several other officers of the ship were of the same opinion so we were told afterwards. Last night we had another bother with our boxes, but we got them tied up before much damage was done, In the afternoon the scupper hole in the cabin got stopped up and the cabin got flooded again and we had to empty one box altogether to keep the things from getting spoiled and so ended the worst and roughest day on the renowned Gulf of Mexico

11th 262

Tuesday. Is a little better than Monday but there is still a very heavy swell on and we are still rolling about, which we are getting quite used to but do not like it any better. We had a walk or rather a scramble on deck today and it was really very arousing to watch us run and grasp anything that was available and scrambling up on anything out of the way of the water which keep coming over as usual and drenching some

12th 233

Wednesday is a fine day, the sun is shining brightly and the sea has gone down a great deal the old tub keeps rolling yet, but not so bad as she has been. It is quite a treat to have a fine day after the fearful time we have had these last few days. There has been a few accidents, - one man fell down with the rolling of the ship and cut his nose dreadfully, another hurt his leg and several others with minor bruises, but we are all safe, not a bruise of any description, but we have got off well (all in the ship) considering the awful storm we have gone through. I hear this morning that the Captain never left the poop from Sunday afternoon till Monday night. We were going back for several hours on Sunday night, so our progress has been very slow during the storm although the log account is not much different from the other days (as you will see by log account given in margin of book under date) but we have been going around about road. There was also a lot of provision, spoiled, several of barrels of flour and bags of biscuits, potatoes, sugar, peas The lead that was running about broke into a storeroom so that the salt water got in and spoiled the lot, so they are saying we shall have to put into the nearest port to get a fresh stock of provisions and coal which will not hold out till we get to Hobart

13th 270 miles

Thursday is a very nice day overhead, but the sea is rougher than it was yesterday and so the vessel rolls more, she does not ship any sea so that is one comfort There is nothing fresh today we have not seen a sail for a long time, nothing but water from morning till night except a few birds which have followed us from the Cape and we have tired of watching them long ago

14th 236 miles

Friday is very rough again, so we are having the same thing over again The waves were higher today than we have seen then yet although there was hardly any came on board. It was really grand to stand at the back part of the ship and watch them rolling after us like huge mountains, as if they would swamp us but they would die away just by the ship. The waves were rolling on almost as high as the masts of the ship and we seemed almost under them, then they would die away as if by magic We could not walk about the deck so we had to go below and pass the day away as best we could

15th 252 miles

Saturday. We have had a fearful night, the old tub rolling and the tins chasing one another about as usual, the wind is in our favour and helps us along a little quicker After dinner we sight a large sailing vessel coming towards us which when signaled, proved to be the Champion of Liverpool She did not signal where she was bound to and our captain did not ask. We have no flour weighed out to us today as they are rather short, so we shall have to do without our cakes The wind has gone down a little tonight so we shall be more comfortable

16th 220 miles

Sunday. The day is clear and the sun is very warm, we can go on deck today without fear of getting wet There has been no service this morning. I don't know why for it is quite fine and nice but the captain does not care much about it After dinner we went up on the forecastle where it is very pleasant and stayed there till teatime It is a pleasant moonlight night so we stayed out much later than usual it is so pleasant.

17th 262 miles

Monday is fine the same as yesterday we know how to appreciate a fine day after the rough weather we have had It is a general washing day with us, so we are quite busy carrying water etc. Some of the men are playing quoits so that it is like old times It is a glorious sunset tonight the sky is really splendid

18th 250 miles

Tuesday is a nice day but is rather cold and gets rather cloudy towards evening. There is nothing at all to be seen today, the moon is hardly visible tonight so we retire early

19th 258 miles

Wednesday is rather cold but quite pleasant and so we pass our time away much better than yesterday All night the moon shines out bright and clear so we stay on deck rather late it is so much better and sweeter than it is down below where it smells very close, so we keep on deck as much as possible.

20th 262 miles

Thursday It is rather cold, so we have to walk about very brisk, which we can manage to do now for the ship is sailing very steady and the wind is still in our favour There is a concert at night which passes off very well - some of the singers sing some very good songs and one young man gives a recitation and so we pass a very pleasant evening

21st 254 miles

Friday It is rather dull today and we have slight showers now and then, but they do us no harm scarcely wetting the deck. It clears up at night and is very fine, the moon shining out splendidly

22nd 256 miles

Saturday is a great cleaning up day. The sailors are washing under our berths for the first time since we started and fumigate it also to keep away fever and the smell There is one or two children got the measles so that they are getting frightened we may be kept in quarantine, when we got to port, so they are trying to get it clean and wholesome before we get into port, There was another row down in the cabin last night. Some of the men had been caught smoking (for now they are stopping it as we are getting into port and it has been allowed all the time up to this, making it very unpleasant for nonsmokers) and took them up to the captain, so he gave them a reprimand so this was how they had their spite by singing and making a row. The third mate came down and ordered then to stop but they hooted him out and began a proper hubbub bleating and moaning and barking like dogs and clashing tins together etc. making a regular fools concert, so you can guess what a pleasant time we had, But we got to sleep at last, in a lull, goodness knows how long they kept it up Someone has been mean enough to cut the canvas over the hatchways thereby endangering our lives. If any sea had come on it would have tore the canvas and got down below the cargo. So the captain offered £5 reward.

23rd 268 miles

Sunday is rather squally, but we have a service, very short as usual and it just kept fair till it was over. We were all called on deck this morning and all names called over as we expect to be in Albany tomorrow and the captain again offered the reward and said we should not be allowed on shore neither at Albany or Hobart of the culprit was not found out and he also said if the man would come to him and confess the act he would freely forgive him.

24th Albany

Monday We are all up early to look out for land which we see as soon as it is light. There is our first sight of Australia, Shortly after breakfast we were in the outer harbour King George's Sound where the captain signaled for a pilot and we lay to till one comes on board. It is a very grand coast, not so pretty as Teneriffe, but still very pretty We pass close by huge rocks, which at first look like one rocky island, but presently we see it is several pieces and the water washes in the gulleys and creeks and making it look very grand The inner harbour is very pretty and the town of Albany is situated on one corner The yellow flag is hoisted to show there is sickness on board, so we are expecting a doctor on board and every little boat that comes towards the ship we fancy he is on it and one steam launch passing by with a shooting party on board ask us would we like to go on shore when we all cry yes ! So they pull that yellow rag down and we will soon take you there. Then we go down to dinner and before we have finished the 4th mate came down and told us that we could go on shore but we were all to be on board again by 7 o'clock so we were soon ready to go.

Albany is a very pretty town although more like a village - no regularity about it - but plenty of splendid flowers growing wild about the town. The first building we came to was the Post Office ( and Telegraph) we had no letters to post for the mate had took charge of all letters and we found they were just in time for the P and O steamer called there next day homeward bound All the shops except sweet shops and beer house (there was plenty of them) were closed on account of the Queen's birthday It was a general holiday and I believe in all the Colonies The first building that we visited was the Church of St John's which was open. It was an old fashioned looking place reminding us very much of Thurstaston old church It had a very nice little organ and on the music stand the hymn book lay open at "There is a Blessed Home". Then we took a walk out of the town It was a pleasure to have a proper walk the first time for 6 weeks, There was plenty of flowers to be got so we gathered a basketful Then we took a walk to the cemetery but it was not much of a place just simple rails round and a few walks rather ill kept, but we must not expect much as this is quite a new place On the opposite side were two more cemeteries all similar so we turned our faces back to see after some tea. We find a Temperance Hotel, but it is quite full of people off the ship so we have to wait our turn but we get a good tea, the first for 6 weeks. Everything was very dear, but you could not get much the only fruit you could get was apples and they were 6d pennyweight for they did not grow there but had to be imported So we took our way back to the ship well tired Some of the men had managed to get tight and had to have a fight but they soon quietened down and we all went to bed to sleep well. We started way from there about 11 o'clock having got coals to last to Hobart and some fresh meat etc.

25th 188 miles

Tuesday We are out on the ocean again - land is entirely lost to us for a week when we expect to reach Hobart We had a splendid dinner today - it consisted of a very small bit of fresh meat and a very large piece of bone and a few potatoes in their skins half cooked, so we had to complain to the captain so we got a shoulder of mutton for our mess which is the first we have had on board

26th 258 miles

Wednesday It is about same as usual nothing but water to be seen. I do not think it done us much good our holiday on shore for we feel it a good deal worse than we did, for we were getting used to it, but now it seems as bad as ever. The old tub is rolling again so we have to cling to the ropes as usual.

27th 242 mile

Thursday We have to wrap ourselves up pretty well as it is rather cold and we cannot walk about much for she rolls fearfully We quite expected to get better food with calling at port, but are disappointed we have the same as usual even to the preserved meat and potatoes.

28th 244 miles

Friday. It is quite a relief to get up, as we could not sleep, the ship rolled so Some of the men got up and played cards all night which was almost preferable to rolling about in our berths There is nothing worth mentioning hardly it is all the same over again

29th

Saturday. There is great preparations going on today, everybody almost preparing to go ashore at Hobart where we expect to land on Monday morning The sailors are busy getting the tackle ready for unloading the cargo Our cabin is getting polished up proper today to look smart for Hobart, when a few visitors may come to look over her There has been a row today between the cook and one of the Stewards and some of the passengers took the steward's part So the cook got dancing about and challenging any passengers to fight but of course none of them will fight him on the ship for she is rolling about fearful and he is as big as an elephant. He almost went white with rage considering he is a mulatto. Some of the men call him Matilda Snowball, but of course that is very wrong but I don't know whether they let him hear them

30th

Sunday We are up much earlier than usual this morning, half expecting to see land but there is none in sight The captain has ordered all beds on deck as it is a fine day and they have put ropes across the deck to hang them on There is no service this morning but I suppose we do not need any as we shall soon land. There was another row with the cook today It was found out that he had been selling (to the passengers) jam that should have been for the saloon and now I suppose they have run short, or else they would not have found him out We have not seen any land today but we are sure to see and be on it tomorrow.

31st

We are up early this morning waiting very patiently for Hobart. Land was sighted late last night and now we are quite close to it. On either side it is very pretty, on one side quite steep and hilly and covered with bush and cultivated some distance from the water They signaled for a pilot at day break and when he came on board we proceeded up the bay and when we came in sight of the town, we thought we had never seen such a pretty place in our lives It is I think prettier than Teneniffe or Albany, the hills ascending up on either side and one mountain covered with snow at the top and going up a long way and covered almost all the way up with thick bush. That is Mt. Wellington it looks quite close to but they say it is a few mile to it (away) We came alongside the long pier about 9 o'clock and we were not long before we were on shore. It reminds us very much of an English watering place. I believe it is a sort of a watering place for Sydney and Melbourne during the summer months, for it is much cooler here than there, it is really a splendid climate and a good place for fruit. The principal buildings are stone and very good buildings too, but there is none going on at present at least what there is, is about finished so it is not worth while stopping here. We did intend to stay here if there had been much work going on, so we made up our minds to go on to Sydney We spent a very pleasant day looking round the town and stayed on shore for dinner and tea and completely tired ourselves out. We see a notice in the General Post Office that the Gulf of Mexico will carry the mails to Melbourne and that the bag will be closed at half past 5 tonight that she will sail at night for Melbourne but she is not going till tomorrow afternoon. So we go off again for another walk although we are tired, but we are anxious to get as much of it as possible We stay on shore till about 10 o'clock when we go on board for the night. A good few of the passengers stay on shore all night and we find that 2 men out of our mess are missing which causes us great uneasiness, for they said they were going up Mt. Wellington and we have heard today that it is a very dangerous place and that many people lose their lives on it and no one has seen anything of them since they left the ship, so we retire to sleep sound

June 1

Tuesday We are awakened by the working of the chain, used in unloading the ship. Immediately after breakfast we go on shore again but we do not stay long, for we are expecting to start soon We went up to the post office and posted a few newspapers then back to the ship We left the pier about 2 o'clock, several of the people were nearly left, some jumping on as we were moving off and others coming after us in a little steam boat - then there were 3 men left behind, nobody knew where they were A lot of the men were quite tight, some merry and some quarrelsome One man had a sad accident, Coming off the hatchway he slipped down and broke his leg just above his ankle and had to be carried to the hospital, but he bears his trouble manfully. We are going round the south of Tasmania so we shall hardly lose sight of land again

2nd

Wednesday It is splendid weather and we are going steady and at pretty good pace We can see the land in the distance We lean over the side watching the porpoises jumping out of the water and sporting alongside of the ship - some of them were about 6 feet long there was hundreds of them. One of the saloon passengers who had a gun was shooting at them and hit one or two for they turned over and disappeared Some of the passengers are very busy washing up their dirty clothes and others packing their boxes ready to be transshipped or landed as they want to be.

3rd

Thursday. Some of the people are very busy getting ready to land, some throwing their beds and bedding overboard and others getting their boxes etc. up on deck. Still we are a long way off Melbourne, but I suppose they are anxious to get off this old tub. We do not know whether we shall be transshipped today or not. but we are rather anxious about it We drop anchor about 12 o'clock and most of the Melbourne passengers go off direct and some of the Sydney passengers go to look round the towns but we do not go off at all. They commence straight away to pull the hatches off our cabin to make a way down to the cargo We shall have to stay on board tonight an d be transshipped tomorrow morning. This is the last night we shall be on the Gulf of Mexico and we are not sorry.

4th

Friday. We are up pretty early getting ready to be transshipped, all the luggage is got up on deck ready for the tender to take us to the other ship We have a good breakfast for the 1st and last time on the Gulf and then comes the tossing about of the luggage into the tender, and soon it is all on board and we bid farewell to the old tub and proceed up the Yarrow to the other ship which is up at Melbourne, while the Gulf was only in the Harbour The river up to Melbourne is very muddy and on each side it is swampy and dirty We got to the ship (Gabo) for Sydney - then came another tossing about of luggage but all was got on board in time and we secured our berths The ship was properly crowded and some other passengers had to be turned away as there was no room for them, for they had to find berths for all our lot. We started off as soon as all was on board and soon left Melbourne behind We found the ship much more comfortable than the Gulf but it was rather crowded - there was not room for all to sit down for meals at once so we had to take it in turns, but the food was very good and properly cooked. It was a treat after what we had been used to The deck was crowded with vegetables so that, we had not much room to walk about Altogether the difference was not worth the trouble of transshipping, it would have saved us a deal of trouble if we could have gone on to Sydney in the Gulf. She is a very nice ship not very large but well fitted up, the berths are very nice and roomy more on the ideal style. She is a regular coaster between Melbourne and Sydney and there is a good deal of competition on the route so they have to be fitted up pretty well to hold her own

Benjamin and Jane Salisbury changed ships in Melbourne and the final part of their journey from Melbourne to Sydney was aboard the SS Gabo.

5th

Saturday We have spent a very good night and have a very good breakfast, so that we manage very well- then we go on the forecastle till dinnertime when we had a good dinner and had a chat with the man who got his leg broke on the Gulf. He had to be lifted out of her on a hatch, lifted by the steam hoist and was carried to the Gabo, where he has much more comfortable quarters than he had in the hospital on the Gulf - he is doing very well indeed. Then up on the forecastle for the rest of the day.

6th

Sunday Our last day on board, it is very fine and quite warm for winter, the sun shines out brightly. We are going along quite close to the shore, We can see a few settlements not far from the beach In some parts there is huge rocks jutting out and on some of them there looks to be large caves. We expected to land in Sydney tonight, but we need not go on shore till morning. We should have been there by 2 o'clock, but her screw is broken and we are going rather slow, but we shall get there tonight ready for morning We spend most of our time again on the forecastle today, but truly there is nowhere else to go except among the vegetables At last we get to Sydney Harbour which is supposed to be the finest in the world - it was really a splendid sight at night I don't know what it is in daylight but it is splendid at night the numerous lights shine out well. On the outside there is a powerful electric light which lights up all round at intervals, for it is a revolving light We pass quietly on our way up the harbour until we are nearing our destination when the whistle is blowing all the time, but at last we are alongside the wharf and several soon go ashore and the friends of some came to meet them and take them off very hastily and they are only too anxious to get off as all of us are properly tired of our nine weeks sea life and are only too glad to get off. So we retire for the last time on this ship

7th

Monday All is bustle and confusion and we are all very busy getting our luggage together, which we find alright, with the exception of sundry dingies. Then we go and get breakfast and look for lodgings which we find in due time then we get a cart and take our luggage away and bid goodbye to sea life we all hope for some time though not for ever, I hope and so ended our voyage to Sydney in the Gulf of Mexico and Gabo

B Salisbury J Salisbury